I think that old-timers (like me) can tend to forget that design and engineering is not just technical know-how. It includes other aspects, not the least of which is how to research.

Research includes two major aspects. One is figuring out what question to ask. The second is figuring out where and how to get an answer. These are critical skills that I believe are overlooked. It's easy to give a student a lecture to memorize and a textbook problem to solve. Unfortunately, this is not enough.

We see questions that are incomplete, or questions that could easily be answered by looking in the right place. We, however, have the benefit of experience.

I think we need to be patient with students that have not yet mastered the skill of doing research. It's true that some don't care, but that's true with anything.

It seems that many people learn embedded control on the 8052. Many of these people are young and green. It's not enough to provide a technical FAQ. Maybe there should be a resource that addresses how and where to constructively research problems, both academic and real. Or maybe it just comes with experience.